The Buck
by OraLynn
Summary: In a rare moment of peace, Daryl takes his young protege out on a hunting trip.


A cool mist fell over the lush, open field. Pine trees and maple surrounded the outer border; the dark woods silent in the morning light. A proud buck sauntered slowly through, picking away at the tall grass with a careless grace.

"You see him?"

The world was peaceful and still. Somewhere beyond the wood, a mourning dove wailed its haunting song as two figures sat hunched behind a fallen tree, patiently watching and waiting for the buck to draw closer into range.

"I see him," responded the younger, even and sure.

The buck did not take notice. It walked a few paces forward, lining up perfectly in the cross-hairs.

"Alright," said the older. "When you get a feel for it... take the shot."

The stillness lasted for another couple seconds. The tranquil morning was suddenly rocked by an enormous boom, cracking and echoing throughout the vast, empty sky. The buck dropped to the ground, the boom of the gunshot still resonating over the field.

Judith Grimes rose from her hiding spot. The large rifle in her hands nearly slipped from her stunned excitement.

"Alright," said Daryl, rising next to her. "Alright, Little Asskicker!"

"I did it!" said Judith, beaming up at him from ear to ear.

Daryl gave the kid a pat on the head, tousling up her long, dark hair. "I'd say you did."

"Did you see the antlers on that thing?" Judith pointed. "They're sharp enough to skewer a man through!"

"C'mon," Daryl nudged. "Let's go check it out."

The pair crossed the field quickly. They came upon the buck with caution, Daryl holding out his hand to stop Judith from approaching closer.

"There it is. Neck shot, see it?" he said, pointing at the sight of the bullet entry. " _Damn_ , Jude. That's a nearly perfect shot if I ever saw one."

"What do you mean, nearly perfect?" asked Judith as she moved closer with a curious gleam. Daryl put a hand up again. "It's still alive," he warned.

Dropping to one knee, Daryl took out the bowie knife strapped to his hip. Judith could see now he was right. The buck's black eyes were roaming, and its large rack rattled slightly against the hard ground. Judith did not turn away as Daryl mercifully slit the poor beasts throat. Its eyes rolled skyward, and with one last shudder, the buck was dead.

It was humbling to watch such a proud creature die. To see the buck up close made Judith feel more appreciative of life in a way she could not explain. She felt sorry for the buck, but mostly, she was thankful for it. They would all be eating again, and this time, it was because of her.

"Ok, Annie Oakley," said Daryl, getting down on both knees and removing the crossbow from his shoulder. He settled it next to him, positioning the buck so that it rolled on its back. "You're gonna be my lookout, alright? If you see any walkers, you just let me know."

"Ok," said Judith, who lifted the rifle in her hands, scanning the woods for movement. She became distracted by the sound of Daryl's knife making the first cut. She watched him silently as he began to field dress the carcass, gutting the deer from pelvis to chest.

"Why are you doing that here?" she asked, slightly mesmerized.

"It's the meat we want, not the guts," Daryl grunted, cutting upward. "Besides, if I have the drag this thing back to the truck, might as well reduce some of the weight."

"Right," said Judith, with a nod.

"We'll make this quick," Daryl said. "We gotta get back, anyhow. There's a storm coming."

Judith frowned, looking up at the softness of the morning sky. "How can you tell?"

"The humidity's something awful," said Daryl. "Plus I can smell it. The rain. Can't you?"

"All I can smell is deer bits," said Judith.

Daryl chuckled. "Well, maybe."

"Daryl?"

"Hm?"

"You think dad'll let me mount its head on my wall?"

Daryl barked out a laugh. "You won't get scared with it staring at you?"

"Nuh-uh. I'll decorate its antlers with ribbons and bows and stuff. It'll look cool, don't you think?"

"You're pretty weird, Asskicker."

"No weirder than you."

"Ain't you supposed to be my walker lookout?"

"Yeah, yeah," Judith grinned. She listened as Daryl worked, scratching her chin.

"Hey, Daryl?" she said.

"Yeah?"

"Who's Annie Oakley?"

* * *

Sun light filtered down through the canopy, casting sharp shadows on the two hunters and their prize. The going was slow as the taller of the two was left to drag the buck behind him, huffing and puffing with each step. Daryl was beginning to feel the heat of the day now that the sun was on his back. He wondered how long it would be before he needed to take his jacket off.

"So people really used to care about that kind of stuff?"

He and Judith were in a middle of a serious conversation, one that was getting harder to maintain with the extra weight he was carrying.

"I suppose," said Daryl. "It was a big industry back in the day. Made people a lot of money."

"But it was all pretend!" Judith countered. "Only make believe. I mean, people did know it wasn't real, right?"

"It was escapism," Daryl huffed.

"What does that mean?"

"It means it gave people a distraction from reality for awhile."

Judith was quiet for a moment. She seemed to be thinking hard on something.

"The Lion King is pretty cool, though, I'll give you that."

Daryl exhaled a laugh. "Wish I could find a copy of The Omen. Movie scared the shit out of me when I was a kid."

"What's that about?"

The crossbow was digging into Daryl's back and the muscles in his arms were starting to burn. He shook the hair out of his eyes, watching as sweat dripped off the ends.

"I'll tell you later. Good _Lord_ , Jude. you had to pick the biggest and heaviest buck in the forest, didn't you?"

"Ah, quit your belly-aching, old man."

"Smart ass."

In only a few short steps, Aaron's old blue truck came into view, and Daryl breathed a sigh of relief. He dragged the buck around at the back, opening the tailgate and sliding down a plywood ramp.

"Hey, put your rifle in the bed, ok, Jude?"

" _Whoa_!" Judith whispered. Daryl looked around.

Strutting out through the trees was a large turkey, pecking the ground absentmindedly before lifting its head to stare at the intruders. Daryl reached for his bow, loading a bolt. The turkey wobbled off, disappearing behind the bushes.

"Stay by the truck," Daryl ordered, and he stalked out, bow raised.

Judith watched him until he was gone, and she leaned against the truck, humming lightly to herself. She was inspecting the dirt under her fingernails until an odd sort of shuffling noise caught her attention. She looked up. The bushes were rattling angrily, and there was a low growling sound coming from it. Judith had her knife out at once, her shirt tucked behind the sheath at her hip. She wondered if it was a raccoon or a fox, until the figure of a man came crashing out of the foliage.

Judith let out a gasp as the man stumbled towards her. His shrunken eyes were clouded like milk and his gray skin hung loosely from his sickly, rotting bones. Judith backed away quickly, her first instinct to get inside the truck. But the dead man suddenly changed his course. He was now reaching for the buck- his long, grimy fingers twitching with anticipation to fulfill his ravenous hunger.

"No, no, no, get away from it!" Judith yelled.

The walker whipped its head. Cold, lifeless eyes fixed on her, and it snarled. Judith was rooted to the spot as it advanced, its gashing jaws biting down repeatedly on empty air. In a matter of seconds it was on top of her, and she fell backward with a tiny cry. The weight of the walker knocked the breath from her lungs. She used all her strength to push it back, its chomping teeth mere inches from her face. Her other arm was pinned beneath her, and with a grunt she pulled it out, brandishing her knife and plunging it deep into the walkers neck. The head! she told herself, It's gotta be the head! The walker kept biting at her, and she pulled the knife out to try again. But her angle was off, and her arm was getting tired, and for the first time since this all began, she screamed.

Something strong and powerful yanked the walker back with so much force, Judith felt the dirt dance around her. Daryl slammed the walker to the ground, plunging his knife straight into the dead man's brain. Its limbs fell limp, and the walker moved no more.

Judith sat up with her hand clutching her shirt. Daryl ran to her, sliding to his knees. She could see the fear in his eyes as he inspected her arms and face.

"Were you bit? Judith, _were you bit_?!"

"N-No," Judith stuttered. She couldn't stop herself from shaking like a new born pup.

Daryl looked her over, checking frantically for bite marks or scratches on her skin. He cupped her face in his hands, his own going ashen. "Are you sure?"

"Close call, right?" said Judith, and she began to laugh.

Daryl looked incredulously at her for a moment, then dropped his head with a tired groan. He rose up straight, running his hands down his face. "Whatever you do," he said, "do NOT tell your old man about this! He'd skin my ass alive, not that I'd blame him."

Daryl got to his feet, reaching a hand out to the girl. She took it and stood, her small frame trembling. Daryl felt as though he had aged twenty years in the past five minutes. He went to retrieve the turkey, lying in the dirt where he had thrown it. He wiped the sweat off his brow, and looked at his hands. They were shaking. Cursing under his breath, he headed back to the truck, and saw that Judith had not moved. She was still standing there, her face red and flushed, and with a quivering lip, she suddenly burst into tears.

"Hey, c'mon, don't do that," Daryl said gruffly, going down on one knee and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You ain't hurt. You fought back, you did good."

"What difference did that make?" she said. "I attacked it with my knife, but it still came at me. If you hadn't been here, I would be dead now. I couldn't protect myself. I'm just not... I'm just not strong enough..."

"Hey, look at me," said Daryl, and his tone left no argument. Judith sniffed, raising watery eyes to his.

"Do you have any idea how many times me and your dad have saved each other over stupid shit like that? These things just happen sometimes. That's why we never go anywhere on our own. We keep each other safe. And I don't ever want to hear you say that you ain't strong enough, 'cause you are. You fight, and you keep on fighting. That's all I'll ever ask of you, Jude. You hear me?"

Judith stifled a hiccup. Tears were still streaming down her face as Daryl leaned back, chewing on the inside of his lip.

"I caught a turkey," he offered lamely, holding up the dead bird as some consolation. Judith's blotchy face slowly broke into a watery grin. She wiped away at her eyes and giggled.

"There we go," said Daryl, rising to his feet and moving towards the tailgate. "I've had enough adventures for one morning, how 'bout you?"

"Yeah," Judith croaked. Daryl reached into the bed of the truck taking out a large line of rope. He kicked lightly at the buck and gestured at it with a nod.

"Wanna help me load this bastard up?"

* * *

By the time they had reached Alexandria's gates, Judith was back to her old self again. It was amazing how resilient kids could be, Daryl thought. As they drove inside, Daryl wasn't surprised to find Rick standing there, greeting them with a wave.

"Dad! Dad!" Judith called out, hopping out of the truck before Daryl had the chance to put it in park. She grabbed a hold of her father's arm, tugging at him excitedly. "Check out the buck I got, dad! Check him out, he's huge!" Rick laughed at his daughter's enthusiasm and followed her to the bed of the truck. When he saw the large buck tied up with antlers on display, Rick gaped at it, dumbstruck.

"No," he said, peering down at her. "No, don't tell me you did this."

"You hear that, Asskicker?" Daryl called out from the driver's seat. "The man's doubting your skills."

"Don't doubt my skills, dad," said Judith, grinning.

Rick seemed lost for words as he circled around the truck, taking in the buck at every angle. His smile grew longer with each glance.

"You took this thing down all by yourself?"

"Just call me Annie Oakley," Judith boasted.

Rick laughed. "And how do you know about Annie Oakley?"

"Daryl's a good teacher. He's gonna show me how to ride a motorcycle next."

Laughing at her father's sudden look of horror, Judith stopped when a voice from behind called out to her. Three young girls came running towards the truck, panting and out of breath.

"Hey, Judy," said a girl with thick black braids. "It's almost time for class. You comin'?"

"Guys," Judith beamed, "come and see the buck I got!"

Bringing her friends around the back of the truck, Judith proudly showed off her prize, but the three girls seemed apprehensive.

"You killed it?" said a little blonde girl, almost accusingly.

Judith blinked. "Oh. Well..."

"Ew, that's gross," said a redheaded girl. "Look at it, it's all cut up and stuff."

"Jenny, you eat venison," said Judith. "Where do you think it comes from?"

Jenny gave a haughty sort of shrug, but did not respond. Rick listened on in silence, noting the crestfallen look on his daughter's face.

"Well, I think it's cool," said the girl with the braids. "School's about start, though. You're coming today, right?"

"Yeah," Judith nodded. "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."

The three girls ran off, leaving Judith to stare sullenly at her sneakers.

"Hey," said Rick. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Judith repeated.

"Just so you know," her father whispered, "I think it's cool, too."

Judith smiled weakly at him. Rick smoothed out her hair and kissed the top of her head as she ran along after her friends.

"Hey, Jude."

Judith skidded to a halt. Daryl waved at her from the truck.

"You did good today."

Judith smiled. "Thanks, Daryl," and she was off.

Rick walked over towards the driver's side of the truck as Daryl nodded after the girl.

"Everything alright?"

"She's ok," said Rick. "Did you have any trouble out there?"

Daryl considered the question. "There was a walker," he admitted. "Took care of it."

"I really wish I could've been there to see her nab this guy," Rick sighed, leaning an arm on the rear view mirror and gesturing towards the buck.

"You'd've been proud of her," said Daryl. "I sure as hell was."

"You need any help with this?"

"Nah, I'm good. You got that big towns meeting tonight?"

"Yeah," said Rick, looking down at his boots and planting his hands on hips.

"Jude's gonna love this," Daryl intoned.

"It's not just for her," said Rick. "It's not just for Carl or for the kids, it's for everyone. I think the people here are really gonna like what I've got planned for them. We'll take a vote on it... I'm curious to hear what everyone else has to say."

Daryl nodded. Rick seemed fidgety still, lingering there by the door. Daryl waited before the man spoke again.

"We've all worked so hard to get to where we are now. We deserve this. I know it hasn't been easy, but... we're safe, we're secure, we got patrols now, support from the Hilltop and the Kingdom. We're finally at that point where I think we can celebrate a little. I've already talked to Maggie, the Hilltop's on board with it. Michonne's working on Ezekiel, I don't think the Kingdom will have any objections. Crops have been good, game is abundant, walker sightings are the lowest it's ever been... I think we can do this. We can make this something special."

Daryl appraised him for a moment. "You believe that or are you still tryin' to convince yourself first?"

Rick caught Daryl's eye. "No, I believe it," he said. "We've accomplished so much here, I think this is the next step forward for us. It's just... what'd they call it, Murphy's Law? Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong? I don't know. Call me paranoid if you want, I just don't want to jinx anything..."

Daryl scratched his chin. "Well, if it makes you feel any better," he said, "I think it's a good idea."

Rick laughed. "I know. That's what shocks me."

"Hey, I like fun," Daryl shrugged.

Smiling, Rick backed away as Daryl turned on the ignition. "Rick?" Daryl called out. He suddenly looked anxious. "Carol and Michonne... they've come back yet?"

Rick shook his head. "No, not yet."

Daryl squinted at him, nodding. He was silent for a while, biting nervously at his thumbnail.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Rick assured. "The Kingdom's a day long trip. They were gonna be out for at least a week. They should be home sometime later today, I expect."

Daryl was chewing on the inside of his lip. He looked up at the sky then, blinking as dark clouds began to gather around the sun. "Yeah, here's hoping," he grunted. "There's a storm coming."

Troubled, Rick looked up as well, hearing the distant rumble of thunder as Daryl drove off, dust flying up behind the tires.


End file.
